Urban Cycling Etiquette

7 by Becky Striepe on September 22, 2010

bike commuting

Cycling is a great way to stay fit, save money, and reduce carbon emissions. Unfortunately, whether you're commuting to work or running errands on the weekend, interacting with cars on the road is often stressful for everyone involved.

Felix Salmon at Reuters recently talked about the biking situation in New York. His description had so much in common with cycling woes here in Atlanta, that it has me wondering if this is an issue in most major cities where cars and bikes are all trying to get from point A to B.

In order for everyone to make their trips safely, I think there are a few key bits of etiquette that would make all of the difference. I'm basing this on cycling laws here in Atlanta. From what I've read, they're quite similar in other cities. If your town is different, I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Etiquette for Drivers

There's almost a combative vibe between motorists and cyclists, and I don't think it has to be that way. Like Salmon mentions in his piece, cyclists are at least partly to blame, but if drivers were more aware of a few things, it would go a long way.

The biggest issue for me is riding on a road where there is no bike lane. There are lots of roads like that around here, and it's a little terrifying when a big car or truck blows past you at speed without leaving enough breathing room. Cyclists are definitely going to be slower than cars, but it's courteous to slow down a bit and leave them some room when you're passing. If you can change lanes, that's even better.

When there is a bike lane, drivers still need to be aware of cyclists. This is especially important when making a right hand turn. We're so used to looking for other cars when turning, but if there's a bike lane there's also a chance that you're about to turn right into a cyclist. I've heard quite a few horror stories from friends that have come close to getting hit this way.

Cyclists are supposed to ride in the road, and they're supposed to behave like cars. A little respect from motorists would help a lot in making it less scary for folks on bikes and a more harmonious relationship overall. That means not honking or yelling at a cyclist who's following the rules of the road.

cyclist

Etiquette for Cyclists

If we want bikes treated like cars, though, we need to start behaving like them. That means no more blowing red lights. It means stopping at stop signs and signaling when we turn. How can cyclists expect drivers to take us seriously when we're constantly disobeying traffic laws?

Not only do those practices contribute to motorists' animosity, they can be confusing. When you see people on their bikes behaving more like pedestrians than motorists, who can blame drivers for not understanding what the dynamic is supposed to be?

Education

I think that what we need is more education on cycling rules. So many drivers and cyclists are uninformed of the rules about bikes and cars, and that needs to change. The more folks talking about this issue, the safer the roads will be for drivers and for cyclists.

Could bike shops offer rules of the road the road to their customers?

Could bike rental services include signage that lays out key rules?

Maybe it's something that could be worked into the school curriculum as part of driver's education or health class?

More and more companies are encouraging bike commuting - it might make a big difference if they educated their employees as part of those programs.

What do you guys think? How can we raise awareness about cycling rules and etiquette?

Image Credits:
Bike Commuting. Creative Commons photo by twotone666
Cyclist. Creative Commons photo by giganticrobot

http://blog.ianbicking.org Ian Bicking

There’s reasonable rules that should apply to bikes, but stopping at stop signs isn’t one of them. Coming to a full stop is hard/tiring on a bike, unnecessary, and usually not expected by cars anyway — I slow everyone down *more* when I come to a complete stop because everyone is left confused about right of way. Bikers should slow down for stop signs, navigate the right of way (using eye contact and body language), but should not be expected to stop.

(The “Idaho stop” (they allow this in Idaho) basically codifies normal stop sign practice as law.)

Becky Striepe

That’s a good point. It is exhausting, especially if you’re mid-climb. I love the Idaho stop idea! I wish that were the rule in more places!

Merlin MacDonald

Becky, one idea in this article is just plain dangerous. You write “Cyclists are supposed to ride in the road, and they’re supposed to behave like cars.” Excuse me? Put the two parts of that sentence together and I think many readers may interpret that cyclists can ride anywhere in the driving lane they want. Here in bike-friendly Berkeley there must be quite a bit of confusion on this point, so I looked it up. The local Bicycle Code of Conduct instructs to : Ride as near to the right as practicable; and Don’t needlessly block the road. So “ride in the road” and “behave like cars” could be replaced with something like “ride on the far right edge of the lane, the farther over the better.”

Are there overriding federal and state laws? I didn’t check.

I see some riders here assuming the whole right lane is theirs, and showing a righteous attitude to boot. It creates severe hazards. Please don’t give them any more “reason” to do the wrong thing!

http://glueandglitter.com Becky Striepe

Yes! This is exactly the sort of clarification that’s so helpful! The more educated we all are, the better.

As for the righteous attitude, that’s a real bummer and definitely part of the problem. I think that a lot of cyclists are aggressive because they feel threatened by careless drivers. Not that it’s a good excuse, but it’s just another example of that cycle, you know? We need education on both sides.

Thanks, Merlin!

http://www.sportsballshop.co.uk Charlotte

I have to say I am put off cycling on the roads by the way a lot of car drivers treat cyclists. But I am also very aware that the way some cyclists behave really does put themselves at risk swerving in and out or cycling 2 abreast . It is also rather irritating when there are cycle paths to use they tend not to bother,
http://www.parrabuddy.blogspot.com skippy

REMEMBER that you are a road user and you are entitled to the same space that a vehicle is going to occupy !
When riding i take as much space as i need but indicate to those following when it is safe for them to pass . Dropping into a pothole not only delays those following but can leave the cyclist with an injury that could have been avoided if those following showed more consideration .
My recent blog item on ” Cycling Etiquette ” covers attitudes in all parts of the world so any contributions would be welcomed .
http://www.facebook.com/grace.adams.5036 Grace Adams

In Willimantic, it seems about 2/3 of bikers ride on the sidewalks even though it is illegal. But there is a fairly recent state law doubling penalties for hitting bikes and pedestrians and car drivers are getting somewhat kinder and gentler with bikes and pedestrians than they used to be.